Overview

• CDU state leader Manuel Hagel proposes revising the police law so municipalities can use AI‑supported video monitoring wherever they deem it necessary, not only in designated crime hotspots.
• Passing the change would require support from coalition partner Greens, with Hagel saying he wants it before the election or later under a CDU‑led government.
• Rhineland-Palatinate data protection chief Dieter Kugelmann reports mounting municipal demands for surveillance but warns of privacy concerns and the practical need for staff to monitor feeds.
• A six‑month Ludwigshafen pilot against illegal dumping yielded just one administrative case, highlighting identification and staffing gaps; the city plans a second test phase and has begun hiring steps.
• Hesse’s tightly circumscribed pilot in Frankfurt’s Bahnhofsviertel uses 50 fixed cameras with AI face searches allowed only for missing persons or terror suspects under a judge’s order, with police able to upload photos since July 10.